Clackamas County"Complete Communities":Communities can check-in, but they can't check-out

December 10, 2014

Forming a new BCC Advisory Board, to better represent the community, is exciting.Â All the community project can get "standing" with the county and, even better, an official "Community Venue:" where they can engage the community for help.

But the recent work by County Employees highlights the risk:
like a Roach Motel,

"Communities can check-in, but they can't check-out"

Formation

When we formed the Villages at Mt. Hood BCC Advisory Board, the issue was to protect the community form know-nothings and power bullies who might, in classic clueless wonderment, might claim to 'be the great Oz" - so do as they say (as they don't do anything useful)

Original Requirements

The formation of a Villages or Hamlet is intended to be a bit strigent:
Village - 15% of the population or 150 people, and
Hamlet - 10% of the population or 100 people.
and the same number for dissolution.

Looks good, safe, right?

Gratuitous Change

New flash! After formation the BCC decided that it wasn't 15%
=> it is now 30%, and no "150"!
For us, the change was from the 150 people to form to 1500 people to dissolve.

It is even worse...

But wait!
Those 1500 had to be over 18 so, out of the 4500 population, you need...about half of all the folk to sign a petition to dissolve!

They weren't totally evil,
nor were they particularly virtuous,
but their incompetence, deceit, snake oil, and intimidation
made them the Villages of the Darned